Research and Education on Tellington TTouch®
Current Brainwave Studies on Tellington TTouch
by Robin Bernhard, LCSW, MEd
"TTEAM Connections", June, 2005
Is there a pattern to the brainwaves generated by TTouch that can be documented by the science of neurofeedback? Robin Bernhard, LCSW MEd, a recent participant at the Virginia TTEAM workshop who is a psychotherapist and co-founder of the Central Virginia Neurofeedback Association in Charlottesville, Virginia, believes so.
In a recent study, electrodes were placed on the head of each participant and fed into a BrainMaster EEG machine and read by a laptop computer. Participants first rested with their eyes open, and then practiced or experienced the Clouded Leopard TTouch. A surprising pattern emerged that was not expected.
It appears that both the TToucher and the individual being TTouched are in slightly different, alert but relaxed brainwave states and that the TToucher group showed a general trend toward increasing amounts or coherence in theta activity. Theta is a thinking intuitive creative state and part of being attuned to another person. The TTouched group showed a general trend toward increasing amounts or coherence in alpha activity. Alpha is a non-thinking, yet highly alert state, often associated with healing, resilience and a peaceful mind/body experience.
The exciting factor to emerge from this is that both groups showed a slight tendency toward decreased beta coherence and an increase in beta amplitude. While the results have not yet been subjected to statistical analysis, this means that there just might be an increase in thinking in both the healer and the recipient of TTouch.
Further study may be able to demonstrate that TTouch effects can be systematically categorized in humans and that both the TToucher and the person receiving TTouch benefit. Linda believes that TTouch has been successful in healing psychological, behavioral and physical distress in many species by releasing fear and pain from the body at the cellular level. Interestingly, alpha/theta brainwave states have been known to enhance well-being as practiced through different forms of yoga and meditation for centuries.
Robin Bernhard noted that it is easier for people to process their distressing experiences when they can remain in a relaxed state. High anxiety levels encourage the instinctual fight/flight/faint reactions across species which reduces or completely attenuates the possibility of thinking through a difficult situation.
If TTouch is used to calm the body and enhance learning, both animals and humans benefit by being given the opportunity to move out of their instinctual fear-based responses to threat, and into a calm state in which old fears can be processed and new behaviors can be learned.
Tellington TTouch Program at the University of Minnesota
In collaboration with the College of Veterinary Medicine and Linda Tellington-Jones, the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota has the first university-based program offering exploration into this unique healing practice for humans. The Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center is working to renew, enhance and transform health care practice, health sciences education and clinical care.
Linda co-teaches a TTouch-for-You workshop with M. Cecilia Wendler, RN, CCRN, PhD. Dr. Wendler authors multiple articles on Tellington TTouch Research. Click here to read one of those articles.
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